• During his inaugural address, UCF
President Trevor Colbourn announces
that the school will “explore the possibility of developing a football program.”
Later, Colbourn and director of athletics
Jack O’Leary approve a decision to form
a football team to begin play in the fall
of 1979 as an NCAA Division III program.
Former professional football player Don
Jonas becomes the school’s first coach
on a volunteer basis. On Aug. 28, 148
prospective players participate in the
program’s first practice. Less than one
month later on Sept. 22, UCF travels
to St. Leo for its first game and
wins 21-0. Bobby Joe Plain
scores the school’s first
touchdown on a 13-yard
pass reception from Mike
Cullison in the first quarter. The following week,
UCF plays its first home contest at
the Tangerine Bowl and posts a 7-6
victory over Fort Benning in front
of 14,138 fans.

1981

1985

• UCF begins a local rivalry, meeting
Bethune-Cookman in the first Mayor’s
Trophy game. The Wildcats escape
with a 24-20 win. Kicker Scott Ryerson
is a third-team All-America selection,
while center Dan Burke and linebackers Eddie James and Bill Giovanetti
earn honorable mention status. Following the season, head coach Don
Jonas resigns to become director of
the UCF Gridiron Club.

• Gene McDowell, an assistant
at Florida State, is named
UCF’s head coach and
athletics director. UCF
wins its first game under McDowell when Ed O’Brien kicks
a school-record 55-yard field
goal as time expired to defeat
Bethune-Cookman, 39-37.
UCF meets its first NCAA
Bowl Subdivision opponent, playing at Louisville.

Don Jonas

106

• The team begins the season
• UCF records its first win against an 4-1. UCF sets a
NCAA Football Championship Subdivi- new attendance
when
sion opponent, defeating Austin Peay, record
10-7 on the road. Ted Wilson returns a 23,760 watch
Knights
kick 100 yards for a touchdown against the
Southeastern Louisiana and finishes play Woﬀord
second in the nation in kick return aver- for Homecoming. The conage with 30.5 yards per return.
Gene McDowell
test features a
post-game performance by the Beach Boys. The Knights
went 6-5 during the year to post their
• After the squad gets oﬀ to a
first winning campaign
slow start, head coach Lou Saban
since the
announces his resignation. Jerry
inaugural
Anderson is named interim head
season
coach. Following the campaign,
in 1979.
oﬀensive lineman Dan Burke
Linebacker
signs a contract with the New
Wyatt BogJersey Generals of the United
gan leads
States Football League. Kicker
the
team
Scott Ryerson is drafted by
with
143
the Tampa Bay Bandits of the
tackles and
USFL and signs a free-agent
earns Footdeal with the National FootScott Ry
ball News Allball League’s Atlanta Falcons.
erson
America First
Team honors.
Wide receiver Ted Wilson becomes
the first UCF player selected in the
National Football League Draft when
the Washington Redskins take him in
the 10th round. Tailback Elgin Davis is
picked in the 12th round by the New
England Patriots.

1983

1980

• After the UCF Athletic Authority votes in January to make the
football head coaching job a fulltime position, Don Jonas is selected
for the role. The Knights win four games
during the campaign and in an 18-14
victory over Emory and Henry, Michael
O’Shaughnessy tallies a school-record
five sacks. Following the season, cornerback Tim Kiggins earns third-team
All-America honors and becomes the
first UCF player to sign a professional
contract when he joins the Toronto
Argonauts of the Canadian Football
League.

1986

Mike Cullison

Michael O’Shaughnessy

1982

• Following Don Jonas’ resignation, associate head coach Sam Weir is named
the program’s interim head coach. New
athletics director Bill Peterson announces that UCF will compete as a Division
II program during the year. With the
move to D-II, the school begins awarding athletics scholarships. Following the
season, four Knights sign professional
contracts: tight end Mike Cater with
the National Football League’s Denver
Broncos and defensive end Ed Gantner,
linebacker Bill Giovanetti and oﬀensive
lineman Mike Sommerfield with the
Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States
Football League. Following the season,
New York Yankees president and former
Buﬀalo Bills head coach Lou Saban is
named UCF’s head coach.

1984

Ed O’Brien

1987 - Darin Slack named a

1993 - The Knights went 9-3

second-team All-American

1987

• The Knig
Knights post a school-record fivegame win
winning streak during the year,
outscoring their opponents, 242-67,
during the
th stretch. UCF finishes the
regular se
season with an 8-3 record, good
enough for
fo its first bid to the Division II
p yoﬀs. In
pla
I the first round of the playplayoﬀ
oﬀs, the
t host Knights record a 1210 win over Indiana University
of Pennsylvania. The following
week the squad falls to eventual national champion Troy.
Wideout Bernard Ford and
kicker Ed O’Brien earn AllAmerica First Team honors
from several outlets, including the Associated Press.
Quarterback Darin Slack and
linebacker Mike Coad receive
Football News All-America
Second Team recognition.
Ford is tabbed
ed in the
third round of the
National Footootball
League
ue
Draft by thee
Buﬀalo Bills
and
defensive back Corris
Ervin is taken in the
fifth round by the
Denver Broncos.
Bernard Ford

1988

• UCF opens the
campaign with five-consecutive wins and
moves to second in
the NCAA Division
II national rankings. A crowd
d
of 31,789 attends UCF’s 26-18 victory
over defending national champion Troy
at the Citrus Bowl. Defensive lineman
Steve Spears and
oﬀensive lineman
Dave Underwood
earn Football Gazette All-America
honors.

1995 - Marquette Smith was drafted in the
fifth round by the Carolina Panthers

1989

1991

1990

• UCF President John C. Hitt announces UCF’s intention to move
to the Football Bowl Subdivision
ranks by 1996. UCF makes history as
the first college squad to a play a Russian team on American soil as it defeats the Moscow Bears of the Russian
League of American Football, 42-6, on
Oct. 3. During the year, Gene McDowell relinquishes his duties as athletics
director to concentrate his eﬀorts on
coaching the football team.

• In its final campaign at
the Division II level,
UCF defeats three
Football Championship Subdivision schools.
The Knights finish the season strong,
winning six
of their final
seven games
to
complete the year
7-3.
Shawn Jeﬀerson

• UCF moves to the Football Championship Subdivision ranks and goes 104. The Knights become the first school
in history to qualify for the
FCS playoﬀs in their first
season of eligibility. In
the first round of the
playoﬀs, UCF draws
previously
undefeated Youngstown
State on the
road. Franco
Grilla
hits
a
34-yard
field goal as
time expires
to give the
Knights a 2017 victory. Host
UCF downs William & Mary, 5238, in the second
round of the playoﬀs to set up a semifinal matchup with
eventual national champion Georgia
Southern in Statesboro, Ga. Following
the year, Gene McDowell is awarded
the Eddie Robinson Trophy by The
Sports Network as the national coach
of the year. Wide receiver Shawn Jefferson is drafted in the ninth round by
the National Football League’s Houston Oilers.

Franco Grilla

Daunte Culpepper

• The Knights host their first Football Bowl Subdivision squad, facing
East Carolina at the Citrus Bowl.
Linebacker Bobby Spitulski is
named to Associated Press
All-America Third Team and is
selected in the third round of
the National Football League
Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

1992

1995

1993

• UCF wins six of its first seven games,
with the only loss coming from Football
Bowl Subdivision’s East Carolina. The
Knights claim three of their final four
games to finish the regular season with
a 9-2 mark. The squad earns a berth in
the playoﬀs and faces host Youngstown
State in the opening round.
Greg Jeﬀerson

1994

• The Knights
begin the year
as Sports Ill u s t r a t e d ’s
pick to win
the Football
Championship Subdivision title. Due a rash of injuries on defense, UCF finishes the year 7-4. Kick
returner Todd Cleveland garners The
Sports Network All-America Second
Team honors. Defensive end Greg Jefferson is picked in the third round of the
National Football League Draft by the
Philadelphia Eagles.

• On June 21, UCF receives oﬃcial
word from the NCAA that its bid for
reclassification to the Football Bowl
Subdivision has been approved and
will take eﬀect Sept. 1, 1996. Against
a top-notch schedule, UCF goes 6-5.
The Knights open the season with a
40-32 victory over fifth-ranked Eastern
Kentucky. Freshman Daunte Culpepper completes 20 of 25 passes for 254
and three scores and earns national
player of the week honors. Tailback
Marquette Smith is named to the Football Gazette All-America Second Team
and is drafted in the fifth round by the
National Football League’s Carolina
Panthers.

1996

• The Knights play their inaugural campaign at the Football Bowl Subdivision
level and go 5-6. Behind quarterback
Daunte Culpepper, UCF finishes the
campaign 16th in the nation in passing
oﬀense.

107

2003 - The program moved into the
2000 - UCF defeated Alabama

Wayne Densch Sports Center

on the road

1998 - Daunte Culpepper
1997 - The Knights

guided the Knights to a
9-2 record

nearly defeated
Nebraska

1997

1998

• UCF faces a tough schedule that in- • Quarterback Daunte Culpepper earns
cludes four squads from the Southpreseason All-America honors from
eastern Conference and naseveral outlets, including Sports Iltional champion Nebraska.
lustrated and The Sporting News.
UCF garners national attenUCF makes its first national televition after leading Nebraska
sion appearance when ESPN teleby three points at halftime
vises its game at Purdue.
before falling by
The Knights finish the
two touchdowns
campaign 9-2. Culto the host Cornpepper breaks Steve
huskers. A reYoung’s 1983 singlecord crowd of
season completion
41,827 turns out
percentage record of
for UCF’s home
71.3 by completing
opening victory
73.6 percent of his
over Idaho. Quarpasses. He becomes
terback Daunte
only the third player
Culpepper sets
in school history to
15 school records.
pass for more than
He is a finalist for
10,000 yards and
Dwight Collins
the Davey O’Brien
rush for more than
National Quarterback
1,000 yards in a career.
Award, a semifinalist for the Football Culpepper concludes the year with
News Oﬀensive Player of the Year more than 30 school records to his
and is named to the American Foot- credit. The signal caller finishes sixth
ball Coaches Association Good Works in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy
Team. Tailback Dwight Collins, who is and is named national co-player of the
deaf, receives Disney’s Wide World of year by The Sports Network. Culpepper
Sports Spirit Award for being the na- becomes UCF’s first National Football
tion’s most courageous student-ath- League first-round draft pick as the Minlete. Running backs coach Alan Gooch nesota Vikings select him 11th overall.
is named the assistant coach of the Cornerback Paul Miranda is taken in the
year by the American Football Coaches fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts.
Association for his work with Collins.
epper
Daunte Culp
Following the season, Gene McDowell
resigns as head coach and is replaced
by longtime oﬀensive coordinator Mike
Kruczek.

Mike Kruczek

108
08

1999

2002

• UCF starts the campaign with
• UCF plays its first
the toughest September schedseason as a member
ule in the nation, facing four
of the Mid-American
bowl winners from the preConference and finvious year. All four teams
ishes second in the
enter the games with the
east division with
Knights ranked in the top
a 6-2 league mark.
25. UCF hosts a top-25
Three Knights earn
foe for the first time, playAll-MAC First Team
ing No. 22 Purdue in front
honors. Wideout Doug
of 40,112 fans at the CitGabriel becomes the
rus Bowl. Wideout Charles
first player from UCF to
Asante Samuel
Lee is drafted in the seventh
play in the Senior Bowl.
round by the National FootFour Knights are seball League’s Green Bay Packers.
lected in the National Football League
Draft: cornerback Asante Samuel (New
England Patriots, fourth round), Gabriel
(Oakland Raiders, fifth round), oﬀensive
• The Knights record one of the biggest lineman Mike Mabry (Baltimore Ravens,
victories in school history by defeating seventh round) and defensive lineman
traditional power Alabama, 40-38, in Elton Patterson (Cincinnati Bengals,
Tuscaloosa. Javier Beorlegui gives UCF seventh round). Oﬀensive lineman Taythe win with a 37-yard field goal with lor Robertson is tabbed by the Calgary
three seconds remaining to spoil the Stampeders with the 13th overall selection in the Canadian FootCrimson Tide’s
ide’s homecoming game. A
ball League Draft.
school record
ord 50,220 fans watch the

2000

Knights host
st No. 8 Virginia Tech.

2001

• The biggest
est news for UCF
comes oﬀ of the field when
the school finally finds a
conferencee home for
football. On Nov.
1, UCF signs
gns an
agreement to
enter
the
he
Mid-Amer-ican Con-ference
for footballl in
2002. On the field, oﬀensive lineman
an Steve Edwards
and defensive
sive lineman Elton
Patterson earn Football News
All-Americaa honorable mention honors.
rs. Following the
year, defensive
nsive back Travis
Fisher is draft
afted in the second
he Nationround by the
al Football League’s
ams.
St. Louis Rams.

Elton Patterson

2005 - UCF hosted the Conference

2007 - Bright House Networks Stadium opened

USA Championship Game

2007 - Kevin Smith had a
record-setting campaign

2003

• UCF’s football program moves into its
new home as the state-of-the-art Wayne
Densch Sports Center opens just 16
months after construction began. The
school accepts an invitation into Conference USA for all sports. The
Knights
will end
t h e i r
b r i e f
fo o t b a l l
affiliation with
the MidAmerican
Conference following the
2004 campaign. The
year serves
as the 25th
season
of
UCF football.
After a 3-7 start, head coach Mike Kruczek is relieved of his duties and longtime assistant Alan Gooch is promoted
to interim head coach for the final two
games. Gooch makes his coaching debut when the Knights play Marshall on
ESPN2 in Orlando. The contest serves
as the first nationally-televised home
game in school history. Following the
season, George O’Leary is selected as
UCF’s new head coach. Tight end Michael Gaines is taken in the seventh
round of the National Football League
Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

Brandon Marshall

2004

• After missing the team’s first game
of the season, new head coach George
O’Leary makes his UCF debut as the
Knights host 10th-ranked West Virginia
at the Citrus Bowl. The Knights open
the campaign with one of the
nation’s toughest schedules,
traveling to face Wisconsin
and Penn State and hosting
West Virginia.

2005

• The Knights win
their
inaugural
Conference USA
contest, recording a 23-13 win
over visiting
Marshall. The
victory snaps
a 17-game losing streak for the
Knights. The team
goes on to win eight contests,
including seven in league play,
during the regular season. UCF
hosts the inaugural C-USA Championship game, which is played in
front of a school-record 51,978
fans at the Citrus Bowl. Despite falling to Tulsa in the title
game, UCF earns an invitation to
the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, marking
the first bowl game in program history.
The Knights post one of the top turnarounds in college football history, going 8-5 after an 0-11 campaign in 2004.
Head coach George O’Leary is named
the C-USA Coach of the Year, in addition to garnering national coach of the
year honors from CBSsports.com and
Sportsllustrated.com. Tailback Kevin
Smith garners the C-USA Freshman of the Year award. Wideout
Brandon Marshall is selected in
the fourth round of the National
Football League Draft by the Denver Broncos. During the year, the
UCF Board of Trustees approves a
financing plan for an on-campus
stadium that will open in 2007.

2006

• Prior to the season, Bright House Networks acquires the naming rights to the
new stadium. UCF closes out its long
tenure at the Citrus Bowl on Nov. 25,
with a 31-22 Conference USA win over
UAB. After a record-breaking season
in which he recorded a school-best 90
receptions, wide receiver Mike SimsWalker is selected by the Jacksonville
Jaguars in the third round of the NFL
Draft. Oﬀensive lineman Cedric
Gagne-Marcoux is picked eighth
overall by the Hamilton TigerCats in the Canadian Football
League Draft.

straight victories, earning the right
to host Tulsa in the Conference USA
Championship Game. UCF captures
the C-USA title with a 44-25 victory
and earns a spot in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State.
During the campaign, tailback Kevin
Smith posts one of the finest seasons
in NCAA history. He rushes for 2,567
yards, which ranks second all-time behind only Barry Sanders. Smith earns CUSA Co-Player of the Year recognition
and becomes the first player in UCF
history to earn consensus All-America
honors. Head coach George O’Leary
is named the C-USA Coach of the Year
and defensive lineman Keith Shologan
is named to the ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-America First Team. The
Detroit Lions take Smith in the third
round of the National Football League
Draft, while oﬀensive lineman Josh Sitton (Green Bay Packers, fourth round)
and tight end Mike Merritt (Kansas
City Chiefs, seventh round) are also selected. Shologan is picked by the Saskatchewan Roughriders with the fourth
overall selection in the CFL Draft.

2008

• The Knights post a 4-8 record and 3-5
mark in league play, but see punt and
kickoﬀ returner Joe Burnett become a
first-team All-America selection after
breaking every major school and CUSA career punt return record. He finishes his career ranked 19th in NCAA
history in career punt return yardage
and is drafted in the fifth round of the
NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mike Sims-Walker

2007

• After a season-opening win at NC
State, the Knights play on campus for
the first time, hosting sixth-ranked
Texas in the inaugural game at Bright
House Networks Stadium. In front of
45,622 fans, the Longhorns escape
with a 35-32 victory. The Knights
complete the regular season with six-

2009

• The Knights win each of their last six
C-USA games to go 8-5 and earn a spot
in the St. Petersburg Bowl behind quarterback Brett Hodges who had transferred from Wake Forest for his senior
year. Bruce Miller is C-USA’s Defensive
Player of the Year and Josh Robinson is
named a freshman All-American. Torell
Troup is taken in the second round of
the NFL Draft by the Buﬀalo Bills.
109